Make It Without You
by TheCookieGenius
Summary: Stefan had been left to repeatedly die inside a safe in the bottom of a lake for three months when someone finally came to his rescue. Except, it wasn't his brother, Qetsiyah, or Elena. It was Bella. Watch as she saves him again and again, in every possible way he can be saved.
1. Chapter 1

"We could be doing anything, Stefan." Elena smiled, lying next to him as he ran his hand through the back of her head, caressing the silky tresses he loved so dearly. "We could be anywhere." She continued, using her elbows for support as she raised herself to stare down at him. "Why here? Why this?" She wondered, and as he looked up at her, he thought she looked just like an angel.

"These are the good moments." He replied, and Elena's smile brought him such peace, that he wished that they could be that way forever. "The simple ones, the ones that matter." A smile broke through his face as she reached down to touch his hair, but somehow, the dreadful feeling in his lungs came back, and the sensation that there was no air left in his lungs seemed to creep up on him. "These are the moments that keep me from falling apart." He finished, and Elena smiled once again, reaching down to kiss him, and Stefan felt that for a moment, he could breathe properly again.

"This can't last forever." Elena mumbled as she backed away from him, her smile never leaving her face. "You're just distracting yourself." Her tone was slightly condescending, but Stefan really couldn't care, because she was with him, and he wasn't drowning and starving in the bottom of a lake, and he'd take the blissful hallucination over the hell he went through whenever he woke up inside that safe, any day.

But then, something was happening. Elena's smile was slowly wiped out as she started to make inhuman gurgling sounds, and Stefan stood up quickly, reaching out to touch her as she started to spit out water. She seemed to be choking, and he didn't know what to do.

"Elena? Elena!" He called out to her, and she opened her mouth, trying to say something as she kept spitting out water.

"Help… Me. Stefan. _Stefan_."

* * *

"_Stefan_! Come on. Wake up, _wake up_." The brunette girl opened the safe, stepping into the vault and bringing the unconscious boy to the stony ground of the quarry.

"Damn you and your stupid favors, Lexi. Are you here? Can you hear me? Of course you can, you nosy little blonde ghost. Next time someone brings the veil down, you stay the hell away from me, do you hear me? Go live happily ever after in Ghostville with Lee, for all I care." She ranted, looking downto the bottom of the lake for a second before beckoning one of the four humans with her fingers. A male walked robotically until he was next to her, and she bit his wrist carefully, kneeling and supporting Stefan's head on her lap, then pulling the boy down with herself. "Don't make a sound, yeah, love?" She looked deep into his eyes, bringing his bloody wrist into Stefan's mouth. The human nodded, looking dazed, but quiet.

Stefan's body seemed still as a corpse, the girl thought, and then realized the irony of the situation, since he was probably dead. But she could see the subtle differences as the blood poured out of the boy's body and into his throat. "That's it, Stef. Come on, drink it up." Suddenly, his hands reached out, fast as lightning, and secured the wrist, as he slowly opened his eyes, red and black tainting the usual green orbs. She watched as Stefan drank gingerly from the human, allowing him to feed until the boy started swaying. "Okay. That's enough. Come on, stop." She interfered, pulling the wrist carefully from his mouth. Stefan looked up at her, a snarl on his face, but he was still too crazed and weak to put up a fight.

"Don't look at me like that. There's more. And you will get more, as long as you are a good boy and don't kill anyone, alright?" She rolled her eyes, calling the next girl and biting her wrist once again, offering to him. "Hm, tasty, right? Be a good boy, Stefan." She repeated, and then allowed him to bite the girl's wrist, once again, settling back and watching as he drained her until she could barely stand. "Enough, enough." She pulled the girl's wrist, and looked satisfied as he seemed considerably saner. "Alright, let's get up now, Ariel." She mumbled, standing up and supporting Stefan as he tried to do the same.

"There you are. See, Lexi pays me a visit, telling me that you've been dumped by Katherine II, that you're leaving town and that I should find you and help you get out of the depressive/suicidal thing you have going on, so imagine how surprised I am when I finally find a witch sort of willing to do a locator spell on you and we find out that you're not only still in Mystic Falls, but also in a _lake_? Seriously, Stef. You should search for healthier environments if you really are into the kinky stuff." The girl rambles, as she helps him over to where the last two humans stand. "Come on, have your fill." She raises her eyebrows and takes a step back. "Just don't kill them, yeah?"

Stefan had finished drinking from all humans when he started to feel somewhat like himself, and he turned around to face the girl who had saved his life, finally paying attention to her.

"Bella?" He mumbled, cleaning the excess of blood from around his mouth and chin. She raised a lonely eyebrow up at him, helping the humans stand before addressing them all.

"You've been of great help tonight. Stefan says thanks. Now, you will all forget what happened here, you'll go home and if anyone asks, you've been attacked by an animal." She compelled seriously, before breaking into a smile. "Alright? Now, go home, all of you." She waved, before turning around and looking back at Stefan.

"Now, now. I've just saved your ass, and I don't even get a thank you? I'm starting to regret coming here, you ungrateful little thing." She smirked, and Stefan took slow steps into the girl, staring down at her for a moment, before reaching down to hug her.

"Thank you, Bella." He whispered, and she smiled, hugging him tightly for a second before letting him go. "What are you doing here?" He asked, holding onto her shoulders tightly, the ghost of a smile on his drenched face.

"Have you not heard a single thing I just said? Seriously, _men_. You're all the same, doesn't matter what century you were born." Bella rolled her eyes, taking his hand and pulling him along, out of the quarry. "Now, tell me all about Katherine 2.0, Stefan. I haven't seen her yet, but I'm very curious."

"Her name is Elena, and she's dating my brother." Stefan replied curtly, and Bella hissed uncomfortably.

"Well, well, well, doesn't that make things very awkward? I can't wait to meet her." She smiled as they reached the car. "Also, why the hell were you in the bottom of a goddamn lake, Stefan?"

"Apparently, I'm a doppelgänger too." He responded, once they were settled and the car was moving. Bella, who was manevouring them out of the stony road and towards the boarding house, stopped to look at him.

"I'm sorry? I thought I heard you say you were a doppelgänger. You know, a copycat of someone who messed up the balance and all that witchy stuff we used to hear about." She rambled, and Stefan let out a small smirk at his friend.

"That's what I said."

"What the hell, Stefan? Okay. Fine. You've got some weird ass twin great-grandpa. Now, what did he do to unbalance the witchy nature of Earth or whatever?" She rolled her eyes, focusing on the road once again.

"He was the first immortal. His name was Silas."

"Damn, Stef! You come from some seriously messed up family tree, eh?" She joked slightly as they parked into the Salvarote garage, but her eyes were hard and she looked stiff. Stefan noticed.

"What do you know about Silas?" He wondered, but she kept quiet. "Bell. What do you know about Silas?" He turned around on his seat so he could look at her, and the girl took a deep breath before she started to talk.

"You just got out of a safe in the bottom of a lake, Stefan. Let's celebrate. Get out of these wet clothes, get drunk, find some nice human girl and get you laid, and then we'll talk about the serious shit, alright? I mean it, Stef. I came here to get you out of your 'I just got dumped' funk, and that's what I'm gonna do. We'll talk about Silas later." She replied, and Stefan stared at her for another long moment, before taking a deep breath and nodding.

"Alright. But you _will_ tell me, won't you?" He wondered, and she smiled softly, nodding.

"I always tell you everything. Now come on, let's go inside." Bella sang, dancing out of the car, and Stefan rolled his eyes, but followed her. They walked into the boarding house, and she smiled, twirling around. "Honey, we're home!"

"Stop making a scene." Stefan smirked, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't be such a buzzkill, Stef. I thought you'd have gotten over your uptight bunny eater phase." She joked. "Now, where is your asshole brother and Katherine 2?"

"Whitmore, maybe. _Elena_ was going to college." He corrected her, walking around the house. "Hm, I missed this place."

"So did I. I spent the last three months sleeping in cheap motels trying to find a witch that would do me a little favor. The good ol' Salvatore Boarding House has been missed." Bella poured themselves a glass of bourbon, giving one to Stefan as he laid his arm around her shoulder. They spent what felt like a heartbeat in silence, watching the fireplace, and then Elena descended down the stairs, quickly followed by Damon and Jeremy.

"Stefan?" She gasped, and both Bella and Stefan whipped their heads to look at her, and the sheer curiosity and hurt shining on their stares made the doppelgänger take a step forward. "Who're you?" Damon walked until his girlfriend to hook his arm on Elena's shoulder, and Bella analyzed the girl tightly.

"Wow, she really does look like Katherine." Bella remarked, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at Elena. Then she smiled and took a step forward.

"You must be Katherine, the Second." She started.

"Bella..." Stefan interrupted her, a warning in his voice. She just waved his reprimand away, never breaking eye contact with the vampire.

"Shh, Stef. Let me. You must be _Elena_, Stefan's ex girlfriend. I'm Bella, Stefan's ex girlfriend too! Now, if you don't mind, we're going to change. I mean, we're dripping and I bought this carpet in Prague, like, sixty years ago. It's my favorite. Come on, Stefan!" She smiled, reaching out to grab his hand and pull him up the stairs. Stefan avoided looking into his ex-girlfriend's or his brother's eyes, even though curiosity seemed to be eating them alive. They stared at the drenched vampires until they were out of sight, and then Jeremy turned around to look at his sister.

"What the hell?"

"That, dear Jeremy, is just the first and the last thing we needed right now." Damon replied simply, tugging Elena back to their room.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, did you guys enjoy the first chapter? I'm not sure where exactly I'm going with this story, but I'm really enjoying writing it. Also, I can't promise regular updates, but I'd say that I'll be able to post a new chapter at least twice a week, I guess. Please, comment me your thoughts, alright?**

* * *

Stefan felt as if he was drowning once again, and this time, Bella didn't get him out. He kept drowning and drowning and there was no Elena to keep him sane. His eyes burned, his throat burned, his lungs burned and there was nothing he could do about it. Just embrace the agony, wait for death to take him again and again.

"Stefan? Stefan!" He was suddenly back in the boarding house's living room, with Elena and Damon staring worriedly at him, while Bella gently pried his fingers from the chair and gripped his hands tightly. He stared at her until he realized that he had gripped holes in the arms of Damon's favorite chair. "You're alright." Bella smiled, and suddenly, flung herself into his lap, throwing her legs over the arm of the chair as she went back to staring at Elena and Damon.

"So, can I start telling you what I know now or are we all gonna stare at Stefan as if he's a recovering alcoholic in a bar filled with drunks and deliciously tasty drinks?" Bella started, and Damon rolled his eyes, but signed for her to start.

"Well, alright. Once upon a time, there was a girl named Qetsiyah. Now that's a really shitty name which sorta explains why she had such a shitty life, but let's return to the story, okay? So, Qetsiyah was Silas' bride-to-be and they were in love and they wanted to get married, have pretty babies and be together forever, but for that to happen, they actually needed to be immortal, which they weren't. But Qetsiyah was a really powerful witch, so she came up with a potion for immortality and they were going to take it on their wedding ceremony and it'd be very romantic and nice and all that, except for the fact that Silas, the little horn dog, was actually with Qetsiyah's handmaiden, Amara. Now, Amara was not a witch, she was just really pretty. And they were in love and Silas was only with Qetsiyah, because he was waiting for the potion so he could take it with Amara and _they_ would live happily ever after. So on their wedding night, Silas stole the immortality potion and he drank it with Amara and then, _bam_! First immortal couple right there. Right, so. This is where it gets tricky. Qetsiyah found out about Silas' nasty move, so she tracked him and then she found out that he was not only cheating on her, with her handmaiden, but now they were immortal and she had been tricked. And you know, as women are usually the smartest gender, Qetsiyah made a cure. So, what did she do? Rubbed the cure on Amara's face before dessicating her. But then, Qetsiyah pretended she had killed Amara and waited for Silas to see the body of his one true love, all mangled and shit, so she could neutralize him and put him in a cave in a deserted island. So, she buried him and gave him the cure, so he'd either become mortal and die, or rot as an immortal."

"This Qetsiyah girl sounds like a raging bitch." Damon remarked, and Bella laughed loudly.

"You know what they say. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." She replied, and Stefan smiled. "But how do you even know you're Silas' look-a-like? I mean, nobody knows what he even looks like."

"I… don't know. I just know that Silas is my doppelgänger."

"Stefan, what do you remember of that night?" Bella turned around in his lap to look at him, and as he tried to remember, all he could think of was how he got out of the car, took Silas of his trunk, and then he was drowning.

"I don't remember a thing." He mumbled, fisting his hands in his hair in frustration. "Who did this to me? Was it Silas?"

"He's dead. Silas is neutralized; he can't throw you in the bottom of a lake if he's in a deserted island in the middle of nowhere." She denied strongly, shaking her head.

"So. About that." Damon started, and Bella whipped her head to look at him.

"What have you done." It wasn't a question, more of an accusation, and the tone of her voice made every single vampire in the room shudder in fear. "Stefan. What have you done."

"We wanted to find the cure." Stefan started. "And we did."

"Are you stupid?" Bella exclaimed, interrupting. "Why would you, of all people, go after the cure? Dear God, do you have any idea about the kind of stuff you've messed with?" She rolled her eyes, huffing and crossing her arms in her chest. "You know what, I don't really wanna know. You have the cure or did you screw that up as well?"

"Yeah, we've got it." Elena nodded, and Bella smiled.

"Good. See, don't use it. Because once you've used it, it's not just going to go away. It's gonna become a part of the cured person's body. Basically, the cure will be their blood." Bella answered, and Elena, Stefan and Damon exchanged looks. "You've totally used it on someone, haven't you?"

"Let's just say Katherine must not be enjoying her long, human life, right now." Damon smirked, and Bella's eyes were widened comically.

"You guys turned _Katherine_ into a human? Man, she must _hate_ your asses right now." She laughed, sobering up quickly. "I take it you have her safely locked out of Silas' reach, probably down in the chamber or torture you guys like to call a basement." Bella raised her eyebrows, staring from Stefan to the couple. "You do have her, right?"

"Well, about that. We did have her. Now, someone else has her." Damon replied, scratching his head.

"Now that's unfortunate." Bella mumbled. "We could have leverage against Silas, wherever he is, and that would be kind of a good thing, but I gotta admit that getting the world rid of the doppelgänger number three stench makes me very happy." She shrugged and smiled, poking Stefan's cheek when he seemed unimpressed by her humor. "C'mon, Stef, she compelled you to love her and then screwed your brother behind your back." Bella listed, sneaking a quick glance at Elena, who seemed, once again, very uncomfortable. "Oops. Awkward moment, _once again_."

"Yes, Bella, we seem to be having an awful lot of those since you got back." Damon rolled his eyes, slightly squeezing Elena's knee in support. Bella, in return, stuck her tongue out and flipped him off.

"I've been here for literally twelve hours, Damon." She replied, clearly unimpressed, and Damon smirked, nodding.

"And maybe that's a sign that you should leave." He shrugged, and Bella rolled her eyes again, kissing Stefan's cheek and jumping out of his lap.

"Amara, the Fourth, let's go." She beckoned the doppelgänger, and Elena furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Well, I've been wearing the same pair of jeans for the last three months. I want some new clothes and you want to know who I am and how the hell I know your boyfriend. And your ex. Who happen to be his brother. Shit, your life definitely sounds like some bad Lifetime drama series." Elena stood up uncertainly, kissing Damon goodbye and giving Stefan a timid wave. He nodded, forcing the smallest smile and then she turned around, walking to Bella.

"Bye, Stef. Call me if you need anything, I'll try to figure out what's going on with this brain of yours when we get back, but a girl needs some clothes. Damon, you haven't seen your brother in three months, try to, you know, bond. And if he has another one of his panic attacks, just slap him or something." She counseled and Damon nodded, a small smirk etched in his lips. "Just not too hard, eh? He's pumped on human blood, straight from the vein. You hit him, he'll hit you back." Bella said, tugging Elena out of the living room.

"And how do you know that?" He asked towards the retreating figures, Bella's tinkled laughter could be heard as she dragged the door open and as they stepped out of the house.

"Easy, I taught him how to do it." She replied a second before closing the door, and Damon's smirk followed the sound of the car as it sped out of the driveway, and then he turned around to look at his brother.

"So, are you ready for a bonding session, little brother?" He smirked, watching as Stefan stood up from the newly ruined chair and walked until they stood right next to each other.

"I'll lock you in a safe and let you drown, over and over again, in the bottom of a lake, for three months, Damon. Then we'll bond." He replied dryly before walking away, and Damon was left speechless, staring at his brother as he walked out of the living room and up the stairs.

* * *

"So, shoot." Bella started as they walked through the store's aisle, a compelled saleswoman carrying a huge pile of clothes behind them.

"I'm sorry?" Elena furrowed her eyebrows, looking over at the vampire who was browsing through hangers and hangers of clothes.

"You've been quiet the whole ride, and we both know that the only reason you even came was to get answers out of me. So go on, make your questions." She replied, taking another few tops she had fancied and throwing it on the ever growing pile of clothes on the seller's arms. "Selena won't say a word to anyone, will you, Selena?" Bella joked, winking over at Elena.

"Thank you, for taking him out of the safe." Elena started, and Bella shrugged, looking back towards the hangers.

"I didn't do it for you, don't thank me." She replied, but even if her words were harsh, she didn't seem to intend any kind of offense, and Elena realized that, just shrugging it off.

"Still, you saved him, and I'll be forever grateful."

"Well, then. You're welcome." Bella smiled. "That's not a question, though. So, go ahead. "

"When did you meet Stefan?" She started, as they walked into the personal dressing room. Elena feeling slightly more at ease with the vampire girl. Somehow, Elena knew that she could be dangerous. The fact that Damon had been nearly careful around her, and that the hairs on her neck seemed to stand whenever she got too close were a clear sign of it, but somehow, Bella hadn't tried to hurt her, and she had helped Stefan, _saved_ him, when she was too busy, spending the summer of her life with his brother. And for that, Elena felt like she could trust her.

"1922. Lexi and I were old friends. So we got together for a couple decades in Chicago, and we found him. Lemme tell you something, he was a mess. Took us a decade to set him straight." Bella replied, taking a few items of clothes from the saleswoman's arms before dancing into another door, probably to change.

"Lexi told me about that, but she never mentioned you." Elena remarked, sitting down and staring at the closed door.

"Makes sense. Not even Lexi would be tactless enough to mention me when she was a ghost with limited time and Stefan was back to Ripper days and you didn't know how to bring him back." Bella replied, and even though her voice hadn't raised an inch since she entered the separate room, Elena could still hear her perfectly. So she was pretty sure that Bella could hear her gasp from the other room, as well. "Hey, Lexi spent the day with me, once your friend dropped the veil down. She told me all about what happened. You'd be impressed with her storytelling abilities. Anyway. You figured out a way to bring him back much sooner than we did, y'know. Lexi couldn't finish her 'Bringing Stefan back from the Bad Side 101', so she couldn't tell you what we learnt." She continued, walking out and twirling her choice of attire. Elena slowly took in the vampire in front of her, and she had to admit that Bella was beautiful. Tall, long legged, fair skinned and she had the most angelical looking face, with deep, bottomless brown eyes. She was what Elena could describe as an ethereal beauty. It made her kind of jealous.

"What did you learn?" Elena wondered, using her hands to support her chin and crossing her legs.

"Stefan is ruled by love. Not by hate or bloodlust or revenge, like most of us. He's ruled by love. Making him feel anger is the easiest way, but by making him feel love…. That's how you truly bring him back." She replied, and there was a soft smile on her face that made Elena wonder just how they had come to that conclusion. "Do you like this?"

"Yeah, it looks good on you." Elena agreed, and Bella smiled wider, bowing gracefully before stepping back into the room. "Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you love Stefan?" Elena asked, and there was a pregnant pause, where Bella's heart seemed to stutter for a moment before she took a deep breath.

"There was a time where I'd swear to you I didn't." She replied, and her tone was carefully detached, and Elena knew that she was being spared of an answer that would hurt her, so she just let it slide, but something twisted in her gut, as if a knife had been jammed in her stomach.

"Were you the one who made him flip the switch?"

"I like to think so, yes."

"How did you do it?" Elena asked. "Please, be honest with me. I can take it." She continued, once she noticed the pause on the girl's breath once again.

"I made him fall in love with me, Elena."


	3. Chapter 3

**See, I'm postponing the whole Season Five drama for a bit, because right now, I see as the Damon/Elena/Stefan thing is more important to the plot, but the whole Silas thing will happen and all that, okay?**

* * *

"A little help, please?" Bella exclaimed as she walked into the Salvatore mansion, arms filled with bags. It was already night, and they had spent the entire day shopping from store, to store. Elena was right behind her, also carrying a huge amount of bags on her arms. Stefan was down the stairs in a split second, taking the bags out of her hands.

"Where should I put this?" Elena asked, raising her arms. Bella smiles as she passed her, going back to the car to retrieve the rest of her bags.

"Just put it in my room, Elena. Thanks." Stefan replied curtly, and Elena's heart stuttered. She loved Damon, and she had spent three wonderful months next to him, but knowing that while she was having the best time of her life, Stefan was repeatedly drowning in a safe and the person who saved him was a gorgeous woman, whom he had once loved enough to turn his humanity back on, and was now going to sleep in the same bed as himself, made her squeamish.

"Just leave it all on the stairs, yeah, Elena? I'm sure you've got other things to do, we've already spent the entire day in the mall." Bella said as she walked by her once again. Anyone else would have thought she was just being nice, but Elena caught the sympathetic small smile on her face as she looked at her, and then saw the way her hand lingered on the small of Stefan's back, and the way he leaned into her, and she realized that Bella was _sparing_ them. Because Stefan didn't need her presence in his life, at the moment, no matter how much Elena wanted to be a part of it. And as to herself, she knew that her feelings for Stefan were still there, even if they were diminished by her love for Damon. But seeing such an intimacy between the two ex lovers, it'd hurt _her_. Bella was protecting _them_.

"Bella?" Elena called out as she left the bags on the top of the stairs, and watched as Stefan picked the bags on the floor and they made their way into his room. The girl turned around quickly, a quirky smile on her face. "Thank you." The smile softened and she nodded once as Stefan opened the door to his room, walking in with a hesitant smile on Elena's direction.

"You're very welcome, Elena." She replied before following Stefan into the room. The door closed with a soft click, and Elena lingered for a moment, quietly listening to what was going on inside.

"What was that about?" Stefan wondered, and she heard the noise of the bags being set down.

"Nothing." Bella replied, and her voice was light and flighty and Elena wondered just how she could lie so easily. "I was just leaving some tips for Elena." She heard them flop in the bed, and winced lightly, before shaking her head. It was not her place to be jealous. She couldn't be even more selfish to Stefan.

"Tips, really? About what?" He asked once again, and his voice was also amused and light, and Elena smiled softly. Stefan deserved to be happy.

"How to handle a Salvatore brother. I happen to have quite a lot of experience in it, you know?" She replied, and there was a beat of silence, before she heard Stefan's booming laughter, then Bella's shrieks and begs. He was _tickling_ her. Elena bit her lower lip before she decided to give them their privacy, walking into Damon's and her room. He laid on the massive bed, shirt unbuttoned and a book on his hand. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes didn't leave the book.

"I thought you'd stay outside forever." Damon smirked, and Elena rolled her eyes, throwing herself on the bed next to him. "Eavesdropping is very bad, you know."

"Oh, shut up." She flung his book across the room, and leaned up to kiss him. Damon smiled against her lips, circling her waist with his arms, and pulling her closer.

"Gladly."

* * *

"Wanna go for a ride with me?" Bella asked, as they sat on the bed. She had just finished getting her clothes out of the bags, and made a show of modeling every single one of them, just to distract him from the noises coming out of Damon's room.

Stefan remained stoic, staring at the wall as every whispered plea, every breath entered his ears. Yes, he wanted – needed – to get out of the house. To wash his brain with bleach to forget everything that was happening a few rooms away from him. Bella touched his face, making him look down at her. "Come with me, Stef." She whispered, as her thumbs gently swiped under his eyes, and he realized there was a stray tear, slowly making its way down his cheek.

He stood up numbly, allowing Bella to drag him down the stairs, out of the door, and into her car – a sleek, black Porsche. And then, they were out of the Salvatore mansion.

"Lexi said I should leave. I was headed to Portland." Stefan said, after what seemed like a forever of silence. Words weren't needed with Bella, she'd always understand.

"See, I'd usually agree with that. Don't tell her, but Lexi is usually right, you know? Well, I'd usually agree with her, but not this time, Stef. Damon is your brother, and Elena is a vampire. It's not something you can just run away from. You need to deal with it. Get closure, so you can move on." She replied, reaching out to grip his thigh in support.

"I love her."

"I know." Bella nodded. "She's your epic love. But so was I, once. And now, look at us. I'm trying to help you get over your breakup. She _was_ your epic love. But we don't have to have only one of those, especially as vampires. You'll find someone else, and she'll make you forget about all the hurt and the pain she caused. Just like Elena did. Except she was helping you forget _me_." There was a bitter smile on her face as she parked the car, and Stefan looked around, confused. "Come on, Stef. We're here." She left the car, and didn't wait, dancing away from his sight. Stefan left the car, jogging to keep up with her as they walked into the forest.

"Where are we?" He wondered as he reached her, and Bella looked up at him, smiling her quirky smile, swinging the cooler on her hand.

"You don't know? This was your house, after all." She replied and Stefan stopped to stare at the girl.

"We're in my old house?" He questioned, and she nodded, still smiling. "Why?"

"Do you remember? You brought me here, in '36. It wasn't nearly as ruined as it is now, but that's what eighty years does to a place, I guess." She shrugged, whipping out a blanket and smoothing it on the floor, then sitting, taking a blood bag out of the cooler. "C'mon, lay down." Bella patted the seat next to her, and Stefan rolled his eyes, but sat anyway. She gave him a blood bag, taking a long sip of her own before starting to speak once more. "Did you love me, Stefan?"

"Blindly and consumingly." He agreed, without a moment of hesitation. Bella smiled. "Did you?"

"Madly." She replied, but shrugged. "You were _my_ epic love, Stefan." There was a beat of silence, only the sound of the nightlife and the rustle of the trees, before she broke in laughter. "It's good things are not awkward, huh?" Stefan barked a rough laugh, taking a sip of his blood bag.

"Yeah."

"Now, tell me all about what happened since I last saw you." She ordered, moving so she could lie on his lap. Stefan was still for a moment, before his free had reached down to mess with the ends of her hair. Smooth, long and dark brown, it reminded him a bit of Elena. So he latched on to a story about Katherine and Damon and how he thought she was in the tomb, though she had just tricked them into thinking so. And then, a story about Alaric and his wife who was a vampire, turned by his own brother. And then about how Damon made friends with a police sheriff, who also happened to be on the anti-vampire council, and Bella listened with rapid attention to it all.

When they realized, it was morning, and Damon was calling.

"_Yes_, Damon." Stefan answered curtly, rolling his eyes as Bella stuck her tongue out.

"Where are you, brother?" Damon asked quickly, and he sounded impatient and agitated. Stefan sighed.

"I don't believe it's any of your business, Damon."

"Of course it's my business! Last time you spent the night out without warning me, you were out for _three months_, Stefan! And now we have no idea where Silas is and you don't know who locked you in a safe and threw you into a lake and you can't just spend the night out, alright?" Damon exclaims, and Bella reaches out and takes the phone out of Stefan's hand, head still in his lap.

"Be careful, Damon, or we'll start thinking that you actually care. Then you'll have to go on a killing spree just to prove your masculinity." She said calmly, smiling up at Stefan. "And don't worry about your little brother, I'll protect him." Bella finished, turning off the phone and giving it back to him. "What?" She smiled when she saw the weird look on his face.

"I'm offended." He replied, still smiling.

"Sorry?" Bella furrowed her eyebrows, confused. Stefan smiled wider.

"You really don't think I can protect myself?" He wondered, and Bella patted his cheek affectionately as she stood from his lap.

"Nah, Stef." She shook her head, smiling sweetly. "I _know_ you can't protect yourself." She blurred up and offered him help. Stefan stared at her for a moment, his eyes incredulous and amused. "I did have to save you a couple times during the past hundred years, you know."

"Are you serious?" He mocked, looking at her offering hand. In a split decision, he took her hand and pulled her back to the floor, throwing his body over her and holding her hands above her head. "What now?" Stefan wondered, smiling big as he felt the pressure on his gums and his heightened vision. Bella wiggled underneath him for a second, and just when he was feeling victorious, she flipped them, so she was straddling his waist and holding his hands above his head.

"I'll always win, Stef." She mumbled, smiling as her fangs extracted. Stefan smiled underneath her, getting his hand out of her grip to caress her cheek. "Stef?" She mumbled, the smile fading from her face.

"Life is miserable, Bell. But you make it easier to breathe." He replied, voice soft and low. Bella smiled softly, blurring up once again and raising both of them to their feet. They stared at each other for a second before Bella hugged him, tightly, but still not with all of her strength.

"I love you, Stef." She mumbled, hiding her face in his chest. "And I promise I'll get you through this, okay? I promise." Stefan, who was supporting his chin on the top of her head, nodded. And for the first time, he believed in it. If there was one person who could get him out of the constant agony he was in, it'd have to be Bella. "Come on, now. Let's go home. I bet Damon and Elena are having a proper freak out, by now." She smiled, wriggling her eyebrows a couple times.

"So, what did you guys do yesterday? I know you're not one for girl talk, Bella." Stefan wondered as they packed their things and started making their way out of the woods. She wore black high heeled boots, and Stefan knew it shouldn't be easy to walk on that stuff, even if she was a vampire, so his hand made its way into her back, casually helping her remain steady.

"Well, y'know. She had a lot of questions." Bella shrugged, still walking ahead of him. Stefan arched his brow, even if she couldn't see it.

"It took you ten years to tell me your middle name, Isabella. And you just took her to a shopping trip and answered her questions?" He asked sharply, and she huffed a laugh.

"I don't have a middle name, Stefan."

"And I didn't find out about that until we started dating." He replied, and he could _feel_ her smile, even when her back stood to him. "So why did you answered her questions? You hate the Petrova bloodline."

"Yeah, I do." She nodded, the long, wavy mahogany hair bobbing slightly. "But you love her, so I have to make an effort, right?" Bella wondered, and her voice was light and breezy. She was peaceful. "Hey, can _I_ ask you something?"

"Yeah, you know you can." Stefan nodded, and it took her a moment, but eventually, Bella found her voice.

"Is it really so bad? Being here, do you hate it that much?" She wondered, stopping and quickly turning around, which made him stumble into her.

"What?" Stefan mumbled, taking a step back as his eyebrows furrowed together.

"Do you really hate being in Mystic Falls? Because we can get over Elena in wherever place you want. This is about you and you shouldn't be forced to live in a house with your brother and your ex-girlfriend when I know you're in pain and it's so selfish of me to force you to be here and I'm here to help not and I'm not doing that and…"

"Bella. Hey, hey, look at me, hey." Stefan took two steps into her direction, holding her face. Her eyes were suddenly wide and panicky and she seemed to stare at everything but him. Damn heightened emotions. "What are you talking about, Bella? I don't understand you."

"I mean… I mean, I was born in Mystic Falls, Stefan. And I died here too. A _long_ time ago."


End file.
